CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY CYPHER CAT A 29 OCT 1971 FM MUSCAT 28 12 10Z Nemils CONFIDENTIAL TO PRIORITY FCO TELNO 358 OF 28 OCTOBER 1971 INFO PRIORITY BAHRAIN RESIDENCY SAVING ABU DHABI, DUBAI, BAHRAIN EMBASSY, WASHINGTON, BEIRUT AND NEW YORK, | See minute 1. I MADE MY FIRST CALL ON THE PRIME MINISTER YESTERDAY SINCE below. I think HIS RETURN TO MUSCAT. HE WAS PERSONALLY AFFABLE AND RELAXED a brief Folter shed BUT WHAT HE SAID PERHAPS DOES NOT BODE WELL FOR EASY RELATIONS hisseutto Muscatto BETWEEN HIM AND THE SULTAN IN THE COMING MONTHS. dew this pout 2. HE HAD SUBMITTED HIS RESIGNATION TO THE SULTAN AS MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS. HAVING TAKEN IT ON HIMSELF TO GET OMAN INTO THE ARAB LEAGUE AND THE UNITED NATIONS HE FELT THAT HIS MISSION WAS NOW ACCOMPLISHED, THOUGH HE HAD PREVIOUSLY INSTRUCTED AHMED MACKI AT THE UN TO ABSTAIN ON THE US RESOLUTION CONCERNING CHINA Ouainis wars AND TAIWAN, THE SULTAN HAD INSTRUCTED MACKI TO VOTE WITH THE ats out when AMERICANS - APPARENTLY AS A RESULT OF US AND JAPANESE PRESSURE. I vote was MOREOVER THE SULTAN HAD MADE A NUMBER OF APPOINTMENTS, OF WHICH HE !+ in fact the WHICH HE' taken DISAPPROVED (INCLUDING A LEBANESE AS THE OMANI REPRESENTATIVE IN BEIRUT - EVEN THOUGH LEBANON HAD NOT YET RECOGNISED OMAN - SEEMINGLY AS A RESULT OF THE MACHI NATIONS OF ROBERT ANDERSON.) 3. HE WAS NOT AT ALL HAPPY WITH THE REPORT BY WHITEHEADS ON THE ORGANISATION OF THE OMAN GOVERNMENT WHICH HE HAD COMMISSIONED. IT APPEARED THAT THEY HAD LISTENED TO THE SULTAN'S VIEWS ON WHAT THE STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE, WHEREAS HIS, TARIO'S VIEWS WERE VERY DIFFERENT. HE WOULD HAVE TO CALL THE FIRM'S REPRESENTATIVE TO GO OVER THE WHOLE QUESTION WITH HIM. IN ITS PRESENT FORM. HE WOULD HAVE TO REJECT THE REPORT. - CONFIDENTIAL
